The invention relates to bone malignancies.
Chondrosarcoma, which usually occurs in late adulthood and old age, is the second most common form of bone malignancy. Conventional chondrosarcoma tumors are graded from stage I through stage III, stage III being the most advanced. In addition to conventional chondrosarcoma, there are other types of chondrosarcoma with distinguishing characteristics: myxoid, mesenchymal, clear cell, and dedifferentiated (spindle cell) chondrosarcoma.
Diagnosis and grading of chondrosarcoma has been problematic. For example, the criteria used to distinguish benign enchondroma from low grade chondrosarcoma include parameters which are difficult to quantify such as increased cellularity and more than occasional binucleate cells. The histologic criteria are not absolute, and the diagnosis is frequently made by taking into account clinical features such as pain, rate of growth, location, and radiologic features. Furthermore, the location of the tumor may affect clinical assessment. For example, lesions in the hand can appear aggressive histologically and yet behave benignly. In contrast, lesions occurring in the pelvis are likely to represent a malignancy despite a relatively innocuous histologic appearance. Notwithstanding attempts to integrate clinicopathologic criteria, it has not been possible to predict which tumors will metastasize or recur.